Real Madrid edged past Getafe with a scrappy 1–0 win at the Estadio Coliseum on Sunday night to move back on top of LaLiga. It wasn’t their prettiest performance of the season, much to the disappointment of Xabi Alonso, who boasted his players were ready for the game, but it was another classic case of champions doing just enough, and once again, it was Kylian Mbappé who delivered the decisive moment.
The Madrid derby, already charged with emotion, kicked off in an unusual atmosphere. Both teams stood still for 15 seconds before the whistle, Softfootball understands that this was a show of unity in protest against La Liga’s proposed Miami fixture. The silence was brief, though, before the game quickly turned tense and physical, with both sides fighting for every inch.
For much of the evening, Getafe stayed compact, frustrating Madrid’s usual rhythm. Mastantuono and Rodrygo tried to stretch play, while Jude Bellingham kept probing through midfield, but clear chances were few. It took a wild twist and a flash of chaos for the match to truly open up.
In the 78th minute, Allan Nyom, who had barely been on the pitch for sixty seconds, saw red for a reckless off-the-ball challenge on Vinícius. From there, Real Madrid smelled blood. Barely moments later, Mbappé, who recently hailed the club as the best club in the world, reacted quickest in the box, tucking home from close range after David Soria’s parried save.
The French forward at this point is inevitable, and Madrid boastfully bragged their striker can score against anybody with a post via their official X account.
They posted:
The drama didn’t end there. Getafe’s Álex Sancris picked up a second yellow for yet another foul on Vinícius, leaving the home side with nine men. Even then, they nearly stunned Madrid at the death; Thibaut Courtois had to pull off a brilliant late stop to deny Abu Kamara deep into stoppage time.
Madrid held on, though, grinding out the win that takes them back above Barcelona. It was gritty, nervy, and far from glamorous, but when Mbappé’s around, that one moment of quality is often all they need.
